Operation: First Date
by Pikapegasus
Summary: "Peg," Steve practically whined, "it's not a surprise if I tell you right now." (Secret Santa fic for thesokovianaccords on Tumblr.)


**A/N:** Secret Santa fic for thesokovianaccords on tumblr! Woohoo! Based on a real life experience with my own friend group. Also, college students AU.

* * *

Steve woke up to the sound of his phone vibrating on the bedside table. Groaning, he half-heartedly reached for it, slapping his palm against the wooden surface at least four times before actually making contact with the phone. He pulled it under the thick covers of his bed, squinting tiredly at it.

It was a text from Tony.

 **Tony:** Heyyyyy! Secret Santa drawing happening rn! Accept the requests you get emailed to ya or else I'll have to kick you out

Rolling his eyes, Steve cleared the notification, set his phone back down, and slid more fully under the covers. It was just after eight in the morning—so how Tony was actually up that early, on a Saturday, Steve had _no_ clue—and Steve planned on getting a bit more sleep than Tony seemed to have expected with his text.

The text was apparently a group text, as Steve's phone started blowing up just a few moments later. He swore under his breath, blindly reaching for his phone once more, now intending to silence it. He could easily predict who'd be in the group Secret Santa, anyway, so it didn't really matter.

Despite his small size and seemingly endless list of obstacles in a given day because of his "condition" (read: many overlapping illnesses), Steve had managed to acquire a dependable group of friends upon starting college. It had been a change from high school, where he'd only had Bucky and Peggy, though Bucky transferred out just after their sophomore year, due to a horrible car accident that left him without an arm (which had now been replaced with a prosthetic). Steve only had Peggy then, who continued to stand by his side and captured Steve's heart. But, knowing college was just around the corner and Peggy was looking to returning to London for school, well...the timing wasn't exactly ideal. Their mutual feelings for one another came out sooner rather than later. Then Peggy moved away for college while Steve stayed in New York.

But it turned out okay. First, Steve found friends in the students he met at his freshman orientation in the summer between his high school graduation and the beginning of college. From that group, he had a support system, which quickly absorbed Bucky, who then transferred in during their sophomore year. Now it was their junior year, and Steve had been surprised with the return of a certain Peggy Carter, who'd apparently had enough of London.

"I'd forgotten why I'd come here in the first place," Peggy had tried to explain when she surprised Steve on the doorstep of his shared apartment with Bucky and Sam. "Going home only reminded me where my home _truly_ is."

Then she'd pecked him on the lips and they'd been living in a strange limbo state between friends and a _thing_ ever since.

Now it was the beginning of December and Steve knew where he stood in the matter, as they'd decided to "go official" within the last few weeks.

"Yo, punk." Steve pulled the covers more tightly over his head as he heard Bucky's voice drift into the room, following the sound of his door opening and Bucky barging in. This was far from the first time that'd happened. "Are you getting all these group chat texts?"

"Too early," Steve mumbled, trying to relax his closed eyes. Maybe if he just relaxed his breathing a bit more…

"I need you to back me up," Bucky said, sitting on the foot of Steve's bed. "Tony insists the price limit for everyone should be $50, but do I look like I'm fucking made of money? We need to fight for a price drop. $20, max."

Steve groaned, just as he had when he'd woken up. He threw the blankets off of his head and grabbed his phone once more, now reading through the latest texts that had graced his lock screen.

 **Scott:** Roger that! :)))

 **Darcy:** oh my god. stop texting this early.

 **Jane:** What Darcy means is she's in, as am I

 **Wanda:** should we put in a wishlist or something when we sign up with the website? In case someone who doesn't know you well draws your name….

 **Tony:** that takes the fun out of it! Be creative! Original!

 **Tony:** ALSO, $50 gifts are standard ;)

 **Bucky:** do I look like I'm made of money omfg

 **Clint:** ^ same

 **Natasha:** for once, I agree with these 2. I can't afford a $50 gift. Make it $20 max

 **Bucky:** gotta agree with nat on this one

 **Peggy:** And I'm agreeing with all of the above here.

Steve smiled to himself at Peggy's text. He was thankful she'd been able to find a place in their friend group, just as Bucky had.

 **Pepper:** Tony, not everyone has money…

 **Thor:** I shall buy gifts for all

 **Bruce:** please don't

Steve sighed, scrolling through the page of contacts included in the message exchange. Aside from Rhodey, Sam, and Maria (all who typically opted to read through the group chat rather than participate), Steve was the only one who hadn't spoken yet. He looked up from his phone, eyeing Bucky, who was standing with his arms crossed and foot tapping impatiently, his lips twisted to the side.

"Well?" Bucky said expectantly. "They apparently won't listen to reason from anyone else besides you, punk. You're their leader."

"Whatever _that_ means," Steve said, rolling his eyes. Apparently, he was the "core" of their friend group, as he'd helped connect everyone with each other. Something like that. The moment Tony had drunkenly decided to play "Six Degrees of Steve Rogers," Steve stopped paying attention to the logic that had put him in a leadership position over these people.

So he typed out a message in the chat.

 **Steve:** I'm not made of money either. $20 max.

 **Clint:** broke college students, assemble!

 **Tony:** :((((

 **Peggy:** Stop pouting. It's now $20 max. Done.

 **Bucky:** do as Peggy says ;)

Steve shot Bucky a look. Bucky simply winked back.

 **Tony:** alright, alright! Names are being drawn now! Everyone shut up and accept the invite in your emails

"Man, I hope I get Nat again," Bucky snickered to himself. "Hiding that arrow necklace in a box within a box times ten? _Unbeatable_. I'm gonna have to go watch the video of that unboxing for inspiration now."

"That's no fun if everyone just gets repeats," Steve said. "As much fun as it was hiding your gift from you last year, it was admittedly stressful. I don't think I'm up to that challenge again this year."

"Whatever, punk," Bucky shrugged, whirling around and leaving the room. "Thanks for backing me up. I just saved your ass $30."

Bucky, being Bucky, left the door wide open as he left. Steve sighed, taking it as a sign that his sleeping in for the day was now done. Bucky typically liked to sleep in, too, even to longer extents than Steve, but considering finals were coming up soon, their schedules were a bit tighter.

Finally, Steve received a name drawing in his email: Wanda. He could work with that. Wanda was actually a grade below them, but had enough college credit built up from high school that she could graduate a year early, when the rest of their friend group would be graduating. Though she may not be Tony Stark, she still gave most a run for their money academically speaking. They'd absorbed Wanda into their group after Clint "adopted" her as his "little" from one of their school's community oriented-service clubs (the one they were both in being dedicated to helping out foster kids).

Wanda loved the color red and dressed in mostly dark colors. She also liked knick-knacky type things. Steve figured he'd be able to find something for her pretty easily.

With that, Steve finally sat up in his bed, raising his arms above his head in a stretch.

* * *

Steve hummed a few Christmas tunes to himself as he worked on his art final, carefully inking his sketch lines. He mentally calculated he'd only need about another day or so to completely finish the piece, which put him at finishing just on time. He would've finished it ahead of time if it hadn't been for _someone_ needing his help when drunkenly stumbling into the apartment at 3:00 AM.

(That someone being Bucky freaking Barnes.)

A knock on their door shook him from his trance of studying his work. He looked up in surprise. Sam was gone at the gym and Bucky was off doing...Bucky things. Probably studying at the library, or something. The point was Steve didn't think they were expecting anybody, and he sure wasn't, either.

Their friends had a bit of a habit of spontaneously showing up, though. So Steve stood up and made his way over to the door, eyeing the visitor through the peephole. It was Scott and Natasha.

An admittedly unexpected combination, Steve thought to himself as he opened the door. Scott greeted him with a smile while Natasha just kind of did her side-smirk thing. (Natasha is as Natasha does.)

"Yo," Scott said.

"Hey," Steve said, opening the door more widely and stepping back, allowing them the space to enter. "I wasn't expecting you guys. What's up?"

"Peggy isn't here, right?" Natasha asked, glancing around the apartment.

"No, I haven't seen her yet today," Steve said. He knew she'd been one of the busiest people during this time of year, probably studying her ass off.

"Good, so she's still studying with Pepper and Wanda," Natasha murmured, nodding to herself. She gestured to Scott. "This one needs some advising on what to get his Secret Santa, A.K.A., one Peggy Carter."

"What?"

"I drew Peggy's name," Scott explained. "I don't really know her that well yet. Though I know she's _amazing_ , clearly, since you and some of the others like her so much, don't get me wrong—"

"I get it," Steve cut Scott off with a laugh. "She can be pretty hard to shop for."

That, and Steve knew Peggy had been a bit nervous about her quick welcome into the group. She felt like she was intruding sometimes, and wondered how her budding romance with Steve was perceived by the rest of the others (or so she'd told Steve). But Steve knew how everyone felt; and it was far from anything Peggy had anxiously imagined.

"That's why we were thinking," Natasha said, crossing her arms over her chest, "maybe it's not about buying her something, but just giving her something she really wants."

Steve blinked. "Come again?"

"Well, it's been a few weeks since you guys went official, right?" Scott asked, eyes wide and bright with adoration. Steve fought off a blush. He and Peggy hadn't wanted to rush into things too quickly after her return, so their limbo state of not-friends-nor-dating had lasted until recently, when they actually _kissed_ , then realized it was time to pursue a relationship for real. Scott seemed to bubble over with excitement. "But you guys haven't gone on your first _real_ date yet, either, right?"

"What does this have to do with you having her for Secret Santa?" Steve asked, eyebrows raised.

"We girls talk about a lot of things," Natasha said all too proudly. Steve resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "We've talked about what we believe to be the perfect first date, too."

Oh. _Oh._

"So," Scott said, looking between them, "with Natasha's knowledge and you, just being you, we thought my gift to her could be setting up your guys' first official date, which will include some hands-on work and prep. And gives us a chance to show her how awesome we think she is."

Natasha nodded very seriously. "Peggy knows exactly what she wants, and she might need a pick-me-up before finals."

"Wow, guys," Steve tried to fully comprehend their proposal, "that's just... _wow_."

"And if you don't want us to do this, that's fine," Natasha quickly added. "The first date is special. If you want it to be all you, we understand that, too. Scott can figure out something else."

Scott nodded in solidarity with Natasha's words.

Steve thought about it. While taking Peggy on a date seemed more like a private affair between himself and her, he found himself reflecting on this past semester since she'd returned. Their relationship had definitely developed over the months, of course, but Peggy had also been able to find close friends in their group. Maybe Scott's gift would be a great way of celebrating both the officiality of Steve and Peggy's relationship and Peggy's new place in the friend group.

So Steve made up his mind. "I think Peggy would love a date that had the hands of everyone in it. She loves you guys, too."

"D'aww, you're too kind," Scott said bashfully. Natasha rolled her eyes.

"What do we do now?" Steve asked. "What do _I_ do?"

"Ask her _out_ ," Natasha said. "While we recruit some help from the others."

This was bound to be interesting.

* * *

Steve would have to pull a late night to finish up his art final after all, due to the extensive planning for what Scott had dubbed "Operation: First Date." From what Steve understood, his role was to simply ask Peggy out to dinner for the following weekend. Afterward, they'd return to Steve's apartment, where it'd be all decked out with what Peggy envisioned in a (Christmas-themed) first date: candles (fake battery-powered ones, because fire hazard, apparently), Christmas decorations (lights, a tree, _everything_ ), and Natasha and Clint dueting a Christmas song for their first dance together.

It was a bit overwhelming to think about, but, whatever. Steve knew that Peggy would love it all, as tokens of her friendship with everyone else and their support for her and Steve being in a relationship, so he was more than happy to play his part.

"Okay," Scott said, standing up. "I'll send out a group text later tonight, just with whoever I think wants to help."

"You, me, Steve, Clint, obviously," Natasha listed. "Pepper, Wanda, Bucky, Sam...that seems good. Don't want to make the group too big. Tony and Thor would spill it before it even happened and I think the others are busy that night."

"That sounds like a strong group," Steve commented. "Thanks for doing this, guys. Peggy's gonna love it."

"As long as no one ruins the surprise beforehand," Natasha muttered.

"That's why we're excluding Stark and Thor!" Scott said confidently. "We'll be _fine._ "

* * *

After telling Sam and Bucky when they got home about their plans (and receiving their enthusiastic promises of support), Steve sat back on the couch, taking a break from his somewhat-finished art final sitting on the dining table and watching the texts from Scott pour in on his phone.

Scott had made a new group text with just the people listed and started laying out his plans.

 **Scott:** ok, so, surprise first date plan

 **Scott:** steve + peggy go out to dinner. The rest of us go wait in steve/sam/bucky's apartment and do setup. Tons of decorations and shit. Steve texts when they're on the way back. We all hide in steve and bucky's bedroom. Then clint + nat serenade the couple and boom we're done

 **Bucky:** wtf why my bedroom? Sam's got the bedroom with the extra bed just go in there

 **Scott:** whatever it doesn't matter which bedroom, just get out of sight so peggy can enjoy her surprise

Bucky shook his head as he walked by the couch Steve was sitting on, headed toward the kitchen. "Fuck them, I'm not cleaning my room for this shit."

"Your _side_ of the room," Steve corrected, still looking down at his phone.

"Whatever."

 **Clint:** song preference?

 **Scott:** something Christmas-y and can be slow danced to. Use the guitar. Ladies love live music

 **Wanda:** this explains why scott doesn't have a girlfriend

 **Bucky:** oh shit same

 **Scott:** wow

 **Natasha:** got 'em

Steve chuckled to himself, then looked up when he heard a knock on the door. One glance in Bucky's direction told him Bucky hadn't been expecting anyone, as Bucky simply shrugged and shoved another cookie in his mouth.

That meant it would be Peggy, who had texted Steve earlier about doing some studying together that night. Steve smiled a bit as he got up and made his way over to the door. He heard Bucky scoff from behind him.

"Wonder who that could be," Bucky said sarcastically. "Wish you were that eager to see _me_ when _I'm_ at the front door."

"The only time you ever knock on the front door is because you lost or forgot your keys," Steve reminded Bucky.

"Touche, Rogers," Bucky said, walking toward his and Steve's room.

Steve shrugged, turning back to the door and checking the peephole. Sure enough, Peggy was outside, shouldering a bag of textbooks. Steve quickly silenced his phone so the messages from the group text wouldn't pop up while Peggy was over. He opened the door and greeted her with a warm smile.

"Hey," he said happily.

Peggy gave him a quick peck, her smile gracing Steve's lips for a moment. She pulled away happily. "Ready to get some studying done?"

"Studying for _you_ ," Steve teased, closing the door behind Peggy, "drawing for me."

"Oh, if only we could all be art students," Peggy lamented dryly, shedding her outer layers, scarf, and hat. Steve took them from her, hanging them up on the hooks on the wall by the door. Peggy then walked to the dining table, where she set her bag down in one chair and sat down in another, pulling out her textbooks.

"It's not as easy as it looks," Steve reminded.

"Debatable," Peggy turned the teasing on him, opening her psychology textbook.

"Have you eaten dinner yet?"

"Is this your way of offering to cook for me?"

"Debatable."

They laughed at the little repetition joke. Steve turned to the kitchen.

"I haven't eaten yet," he said, "so I was gonna make some pasta."

"By all means," Peggy said. "I'll gladly help you eat anything you can't finish."

A few minutes into boiling some water, a groan from Peggy caught Steve's attention.

"For goodness' sake, don't these people have studying to do?" she grumbled, fumbling with her phone. She flipped the switch on the side to turn off the sound. "The group chat is blowing up again. Maybe you should calm them down, _Cap_."

"Not you, too," Steve sighed, shaking his head. Peggy set her phone in her backpack while Steve pulled his out of his pocket, turning back to the stove. He thumbed through the new messages of his now rivaling group chats.

There were a few more messages of banter in the secondary group chat for the surprise first date. Then there was a hurricane of conversation in the main chat—the message exchange _everyone_ in their friend group was in—after Clint apparently sent a picture of his guitar.

 **Clint:** changed the strings and did some polishing :) ready to go caroling!

 **Natasha:** since when do you go caroling?

 **Clint:** since always

 **Natasha:** liar.

 **Scott:** trouble in paradise?

 **Clint:** shut the fuck up lang

 **Scott:** jeez, chill out

 **Scott:** anyway, operation first date

Steve's choked out a cough as he read through Scott's following messages, laying out updated plans for his first date with Peggy and her surprise first dance afterward…. _in the group chat Peggy was in._

 **Scott:** steve + peg go out

 **Scott:** we set up shop in steve's room and decorate and stuff

 **Scott:** steve texts when he's coming back

 **Scott:** we all hide to give them privacy

 **Scott:** nat + clint sing some christmas tunes from out of sight

 **Scott:** steve + peggy have their first dance

 **Scott:** boom. Our otp is together forever

 **Natasha:** …

 **Clint:** …

 **Wanda:** …..

 **Scott:** wait

 **Scott:** WAIT

 **Scott:** WAIT

 **Clint:** SCOTT

 **Clint:** YOU'RE AN IDIOT

 **Natasha:** I had a feeling this would happen

 **Scott:** SHIT

 **Wanda:** oh my god

 **Tony:** wait what are these plans and why was I not a part of them ?

 **Thor:** Young love!

 **Bucky:** holy shit

 **Scott:** CLINT WHY DID YOU TEXT IN THIS CHAT YOU FUCKED IT UP

 **Clint:** I WANTED EVERYONE TO SEE THE PIC THE OTHER CHAT ONLY HAD LIKE 5 PEOPLE IN IT

 **Scott:** THIS IS YOUR FAULT

 **Clint:** HOW

 **Clint:** YOU'RE THE ONE WHO SENT THE MESSAGES

 **Scott:** god fucking damn it

 **Natasha:** I got this

 **Natasha:** MARGARET

 **Natasha:** CARTER

 **Natasha:** DO

 **Natasha:** NOT

 **Natasha:** SCROLL

 **Natasha:** UP

 **Natasha:** IF

 **Natasha:** YOU

 **Natasha:** DO

 **Natasha:** YOU

 **Natasha:** WILL

 **Natasha:** REGRET

 **Natasha:** IT

 **Natasha:** FOR

 **Natasha:** THE

 **Natasha:** REST

 **Natasha:** OF

 **Natasha:** YOUR

 **Natasha:** LIFE

 **Natasha:** there.

 **Scott:** that'll only make her more curious!

 **Tony:** ?

 **Clint:** spam

 **Clint:** spam

 **Clint:** spam

 **Natasha:** spam

 **Wanda:** spam

Steve resisted the urge to facepalm as he scrolled through a plethora of spam messages, which he assumed had been sent with the intention of burying Scott's texts so Peggy wouldn't scroll back. He then found himself scrolling through the same picture of puppies sent over and over again by Clint and Scott.

He chanced a glance in Peggy's direction. She seemed oblivious to the whole thing. She was still working dutifully on her psych homework, plus studying for her upcoming final, so this entire disaster on her phone must have completely gone over her head. Steve was actually impressed.

The secondary group chat, which did not include Peggy, then came to life on Steve's phone.

 **Scott:** STEVE HELP

 **Scott:** WHAT DO WE DO

 **Natasha:** I think Peggy is with him rn

 **Natasha:** don't let her look at all these messages on her phone

 **Clint:** can you get into her phone and delete them?

 **Pepper:** I could get Tony to hack in?

 **Wanda:** I feel like Peggy would notice that

 **Wanda:** she's pretty perceptive

 **Clint:** also tony wouldn't shut up about it so the secret would be out almost immediately

 **Natasha:** it's already out

 **Scott:** STEVE HELP

Steve withheld a sigh as he typed out a reply.

 **Steve:** alright alright I'll try to get her phone and delete the messages

 **Scott:** LOVE YA BRO

 **Scott:** OPERATION: MEMORY WIPE COMMENCING NOW

 **Clint:** sorry for the spam

Steve placed the noodles in the pot and took a deep breath.

Then he turned to where Peggy sat at the table, poring over her textbook.

"Peg? Can I see your phone?"

She looked up, curiosity etched in her features, her eyebrows raised and lips twisted to the side.

"Why?"

Steve closed the distance between them, sliding his own phone back in his pocket. He stopped beside her at the table.

"I just…" He offered her a smile. "I wanted to see the pictures we all took together at Times Square last week. When our whole group went. Tony never sent them to me, and I wanted to...make a Christmas card."

Peggy actually barked out a laugh at that. "Do you even know how to use Shutterfly? You're a bit of an old soul when it comes to technology."

"I'm not _that_ inept!" Steve defended himself. "I was looking at it earlier. There's a deal right now. So I wanted to get a start on it. And you have the pictures, right? I just wanna look at them all and send me the ones I think will go well on the card."

"Oh, well, in that case," Peggy said, pulling her phone out of her backpack. She groaned when she saw the notifications on the screen. "What on Earth are Clint and Scott doing? They're just sending the same picture over and over again."

"When have our friends ever made sense?" Steve gave a small laugh. "I'm sure they'll wear each other out soon enough."

"Hopefully."

With that, Peggy unlocked her phone and gave it to him.

Those guys owed him big time.

* * *

Peggy drummed her fingers against her red Starbucks cup as she watched Natasha sit down with her own coffee across the table from her. Natasha raised an eyebrow.

"You look a little spacey today," she commented.

"I am very much focused," Peggy insisted, sipping her drink.

"Sure. Of course." Natasha leaned back in her chair. "That explains the way you keep flitting your eyes across the room, or bouncing your knee, or fidgeting with your cup. Or, really, just fidgeting in general. You seem a bit squeamish."

"Someone's been studying for her criminology final." Peggy rolled her eyes.

Natasha scoffed. "Please. I've known how to spot anxiety from a mile away for _years_. Finals got you stressed?"

"No more than usual," Peggy said with a sigh, setting her cup down. "It's Steve."

"Something going on between you guys?"

"No, nothing like that. It's just...we're _official_ now."

"Isn't that what you wanted?"

"Of course," Peggy answered quickly, "but we're going on our first date on Friday. Our first _real_ date, I mean, as a couple. As girlfriend and boyfriend. However you want to label it. I'm a bit anxious."

"There's nothing to be scared of," Natasha reassured her. "The first date is just a formality. You and Steve have spent so much alone time together before. This is bound to be no different."

Peggy tilted her head. "I suppose. But this is the first time we've specifically allotted time to be dedicated to our romantic relationship, rather than just our companionship as two friends. Does that make sense?"

Natasha bobbed her head. "It's your designated boyfriend and girlfriend time. You'll have to do P.D.A.-type shit."

"Oh, God," Peggy stuck out her tongue at the thought, "I hope not."

"Kidding, kidding," Natasha teased, bringing her peppermint mocha to her lips. "You don't have to do that much if you don't want to. Plus, Steve's a pretty subtle type of guy, anyway, so I can't imagine him pushing you to be handsy in public."

Peggy sighed. "I honestly don't understand why I'm that nervous, either. You're right in that we've spent a lot of time alone before. This time just feels... _different_."

"As it should." Natasha set her cup back down on the table. "Clint and I were close for a while before we actually got together. We tried not to take things too seriously when we became a 'thing,' or whatever."

"What did you do for a first date?"

"Hmm. We had a lot of awkward-kind-of-first-date-kind-of-not-type things back in the beginning. I think, for our first official date, we went to the movies. Then got some take-out dinner and brought it back to the apartment."

Peggy raised an eyebrow. "I can only assume what happened in the apartment afterward."

"You got it," Natasha said, winking at Peggy.

"I don't think Steve and I are quite there yet," Peggy admitted. She'd only been back in the 'States for just under six months—only had Steve back in her _life_ for that time. They'd had sleepovers in which bed-sharing naturally happened—but nothing more than that. She never pressed Steve for anything more, and neither did he press her.

"That's totally fine." Natasha rested her hands on the table. "Every couple is different."

"Steve told me we're going out to eat, though I'm not sure what restaurant. He claims it's a surprise. And, following that, he wants me to come over to his place." Peggy paused. "I'm not entirely sure what that means."

"Steve knows you," Natasha reminded. "He won't push you. Besides, maybe you guys will just watch a Christmas movie, or something."

"Perhaps. This whole semester has just been a whirlwind. First, there was my reunion with Steve, and Bucky, of course, then there was meeting and befriending everyone else." It had been pretty eventful, to say the least. Peggy was grateful that her newfound friend group had accepted her so quickly and warmly.

"You filled a void we didn't know we had in our friend group. Plus, you filled an obvious void in Steve's life, so I have no doubt you'll have a blast on your first date," Natasha said, though Peggy noticed a mysterious twinkle in her eye.

Before Peggy could respond, she caught sight of Scott and Wanda walking in. She waved to them.

"Oh, Scott, Wanda!"

At the call, Scott turned toward her with wide eyes. Wanda looked between the two of them. Natasha snickered into her coffee. Wanda turned Scott around, back toward the door, and pushed him outside. The door swung widely behind them, nearly hitting a passerby.

Peggy blinked, then glanced at Natasha. "That was…odd."

" _Scott_ is odd," Natasha said with a shrug, but Peggy caught her small grin behind the rim of her cup. "Must've rubbed off on Wanda."

* * *

"Okay, so, we rendezvous back here after Steve gets back," Scott announced, standing before their group.

Clint raised his hand. "What was the point of coming here before anything actually started?"

"To go over the plan one more time," Scott answered easily.

"What if Peggy walks in before we leave?" Wanda pointed out, crossing her arms over her chest.

"She won't!" Scott insisted. "She's not supposed to be here for another hour. She's Punctual Peggy."

"If he actually called her that, she might kill him," Pepper stage-whispered to Natasha, who was standing beside her. Natasha _cackled_ into her hand.

"I heard that!" Scott pointed at them.

" _Anyway_ ," Sam spoke up, "does everyone know what they're doing?"

"I'm glad you brought that up," Pepper said, joining Scott at the front. She held her tablet in her arms, which probably contained a way-too-detailed checklist of what exactly was happening tonight. "I have it all written down here. Clint, what are you in charge of?"

Clint held up his guitar case and gestured to Natasha. "Tasha and I have to practice."

"Good," Pepper said. "And what is your playlist?"

Clearing his throat, Clint made a grand gesture with his hand, as he sang, "Have yourself a merry little Christmas…"

Natasha elbowed him, cutting Clint off with a squeak. "That's the first song. Next is 'Winter Wonderland,' then 'Merry Christmas Darling.'"

"Excellent." Pepper nodded, turning to Wanda. "Wanda?"

"Mood lighting," Wanda said in an attempted seductive voice. Clint snickered. Wanda shrugged, gesturing to Sam and Bucky. "Basically, candles. Because these two don't know a thing about romance."

"Wow, rude," Sam said while Bucky scoffed.

"Right, Wanda," Pepper said, sounding a little too proud of herself as she looked at Sam and Bucky. "And what exactly are you two in charge of?"

"The tree," Sam and Bucky chorused.

"Seriously," Scott looked at them, exasperated, "how do you two not have a tree yet?"

"We've been busy," Sam said.

"And lazy," Bucky added.

Steve rolled his eyes as he entered the room then, buttoning his shirt. He'd overheard most of the conversation from his bedroom. "You guys are so excited about this, I'm not even sure who's actually going on this date: you or me."

"It's just the pre-first date jitters," Bucky said, clapping Steve on the back. "You'll be _fiiiine_."

"Gee, thanks."

"Seriously," Sam said, confidence flowing through his voice, "everyone already knows how Peggy feels about you. This is just a formality."

"But it's still their first official date, which is still important!" Scott pointed out, looking around the group. "Which is why we need to give it our all and give them our blessing!"

Steve's eyes traveled through the group. He felt a little overwhelmed by everything and everyone, especially their collective enthusiasm to be a part of the date, but Steve trusted Peggy would enjoy it. She loved their friends just as much as they all loved them. (Also, he knew she loved him, so, as Sam and Bucky had pointed out, he really _didn't_ have much to worry about in that regard, honestly.)

Pepper held up her phone, wide-eyed. "Peggy's calling!"

"Okay, everyone, play it cool!" Scott yelled, waving his hands frantically.

"Play it cool?" Clint scoffed. "Just shut up!"

"Or _leave_ ," Natasha pointed out, rolling her eyes. "We have to be out of here soon, anyway. Come on, Pepper, I bet Peggy's calling about pre-date anxiety."

"Probably," Pepper said, quickly following Natasha toward the door. She answered the phone as they walked out.

"Don't be late!" Scott yelled as the door closed.

* * *

"I always loved the city during Christmastime," Peggy said as she walked arm-in-arm with Steve down the street. Steve pulled her closer as a breeze blew by them. She smiled.

"Better than London?"

"Much."

They stopped about a block away from Steve's apartment building as Steve snapped his fingers. "Oh, shoot, I forgot my keys. I'm gonna text Buck and Sam to make sure one of 'em is there to let us in."

Peggy raised an eyebrow. Sure, Steve could be so focused on one thing that he forgot others, but the keys to his apartment were _pretty_ important. This was a new one entirely.

"So," Peggy said, her breath materializing in front of her face in a puff of steam, "what happens now?"

"Hm?"

"We've had dinner and dessert," she recalled, looking up at the snow drifting downward from the clouds. "You said there was more afterward, at your apartment. I was curious about what exactly you were…envisioning."

" _Oh_ ," Steve looked up from his phone, turning his attention back to her, "right. That. It's nothing major, just…hanging out."

"Hanging out is a surprise?"

" _Peg_ ," he practically _whined_ , "it's not a surprise if I tell you right now."

"Can you give me a hint?" she asked.

The screen on Steve's phone lit up with a notification. It illuminated his toothy grin. "Well, my roommates are home, so we'll be able to get into my apartment."

"That's hardly a _hint_."

"Just come on, you'll find out soon enough."

Peggy intertwined her mitten-covered hand with Steve's as he led her down the remaining block between them and his building. The walk seemed to last forever, as Peggy ran through multiple scenarios in her head. Was it sex? She hoped not. She at least knew Steve's "text" to Sam and Bucky wasn't so much about him forgetting his keys as it probably was about their impending return. Could that be his message to them to clear out? (…For sex?!) What else could it be?

By the time they reached the elevator in Steve's building, Peggy felt sweat building up under her layered outfit. She trusted Steve. He knew she wasn't ready, and she knew he wasn't ready, either. So it _had_ to be something else. But, again, she wasn't sure what else to expect. A Christmas present? No, it was too early for that. A surprise party? It was nowhere near her birthday.

As they approached Steve's door, Peggy had to withhold a groan. She'd grown frustrated with the uncertainty this mystery was causing her, as it sent butterflies fluttering about her stomach. In an attempt to calm herself, she repeated a mantra of trusting Steve completely in her mind.

Steve knocked on his door, breaking Peggy from her thoughts. "Sam? Bucky? Let us in, please."

Just like the walk outside, the wait seemed to last an eternity as Peggy stared at the wooden panels on Steve's door, scrutinizing it. Eventually, Bucky opened the door, offering Peggy a grin when he met her eyes.

"Welcome home, you two," he greeted warmly, stepping back to let them in. "I'll be out of your hair momentarily."

Steve stepped in first. Peggy followed, at first confused by the lack of lighting in the living room and kitchen area of their apartment, then surprised by the crowd of candles (battery-powered, from what she could see, which was fine by her—better safe than sorry, considering _Bucky_ lived here) on the coffee table and kitchen counter.

Bucky stepped around them, walking toward his bedroom. His movement drew Peggy's attention to the Christmas tree on the far side of the room, by the windows. Its lights illuminated the open space between the living room furniture and the wall. She looked at Steve.

"Surprise," he said, turning to her. "May I take your coat?"

Peggy still wasn't sure what Steve was planning. She moved robotically in removing her layers, handing them to Steve in a daze as she stared at the tree. The boys weren't very festive when it came to celebrations or holidays—even back when they were in high school—so Peggy _was_ pretty surprised thus far. But Steve wouldn't have made such a big deal out of simply getting a tree.

After Steve hung up their coats and accessories, he grabbed Peggy's hand once more, leading her toward the tree. He turned to her with a smile.

"What exactly is all this?" she asked, looking between him and the tree.

"Well," Steve said, seeming to falter a bit due to nerves. Peggy waited for him to continue. "We, um, never really got our first slow dance back in high school, so. Um. I was wondering…"

At that, Peggy noticed movement coming from the door to Sam's room behind Steve. It opened just a sliver, though it appeared as dark as the rest of the apartment. The distinctive strums of a guitar then flowed through the space.

"Peggy, may I have this dance?"

She couldn't breathe for a second.

But then the soft guitar was accompanied by the oh-so-recognizable voice of Natasha, carrying the lyrics of "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" to them, and Peggy got a hold of herself. She met Steve's eyes, offering him a quick nod.

Steve seemed to take her silence in stride, as he raised their connected hands and grasped her waist with his other. She rested her unoccupied hand on his shoulder.

They swayed slowly, side-to-side, in tandem with the song.

As Clint's voice joined Natasha's, still from Sam's bedroom, Peggy couldn't help the soft laugh that escaped her lips. "Honestly, Steve…what is this?"

"The surprise," Steve said. "Our first dance, organized by our…scarily enthusiastic friend group, I suppose would be the most accurate way of putting it."

"Sounds correct to me," Peggy said, resting her forehead against Steve's.

They stayed like that for the rest of the song, soaking up every moment of it. Steve hadn't been lying when he said they'd been waiting since high school—Peggy's last request of Steve before she left for college had been a promise of a proper date, which would include a dance. She's not sure how she hadn't put two and two together for tonight, with Steve's surprise and all, but the location of his apartment had admittedly thrown her off a bit.

"Winter Wonderland" followed "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas." Peggy and Steve came to a stop with the song transition, simply looking into each other's eyes.

"That was…nice," Steve said.

"That's all you have to say?" Peggy put a hand on her hip.

"It's not that," he quickly amended, "I just…I dunno. That was just… _wow._ That's what a real slow dance feels like."

"Do you know what a kiss after a slow dance feels like?"

Steve raised his eyebrows. "I can't say that I do."

Peggy answered by pressing her lips to his, smirking into the kiss. Steve pulled her closer.

" _Ew!_ "

Their momentary bliss was disturbed by a voice from Steve and Bucky's room, opposite Sam's room. Peggy glanced toward the door, which was cracked open. Steve sighed.

"At least they gave us _some_ privacy."

" _Psst_ ," an insistent whisper traveled from the door, "the _note_ , Cap."

Steve's expression brightened at that. He released Peggy to crouch down beside the tree, retrieving an envelope from the floor. He handed it to Peggy.

"For me?" She turned it over in her hands. Sure enough, her name was on the back.

" _With love!_ " came the whisper once more, followed by a _thud_ and an _ow._

Peggy opened the envelope then, pulling out a Christmas card with a joyful snowman on the front. She opened it, reading through a brief message addressed to her.

 _Dear Peggy,_

 _Surprise! Merry Christmas from your Secret Santa! Hope you enjoyed your first date and dance with Steve, put together by yours truly, with the help of some others (and the oversight of Steve, of course). :)_

 _I know it's your special night with him, but I wanted to make sure you knew how much we all love you, too! You're awesome! You can kick my ass any day! (You don't HAVE to, I mean, I'd rather my ass not be kicked more than it already is regularly…)_

 _You two have our blessing. :)_

 _Your Secret Santa (Scott)_

Well.

It was safe to say Peggy had found a home with Steve and the others.

"Merry Christmas, Peg," Steve murmured, standing up on his toes to press a kiss to Peggy's forehead. "And happy first date. And first dance. I love you."

"Love you, too," Peggy replied just as softly, cradling Scott's card against her chest. She looked back toward Steve's room, raising her voice. "Thank you, Scott. And everyone else."

"You're welcome!" Scott's voice came to them then. "Also, if you wanna keep slow dancing, we promise we'll stop looking…Bucky, _shut up_. I swear we're not looking anymore!"

Peggy couldn't help but laugh. She turned back to Steve, eyes twinkling in tandem with the lights of the tree. "Shall we?"

"We shall."


End file.
